A Day In The Life Of A Chef At Romano’s – JW Marriott, Sahar

Hello Potpourriers!

Hope you guys are well. I’m back after a while and that too with a post that was long pending. It was a day well spent at JW Marriott Sahar as a couple of my favourite blogger friends were invited to be part of a one-of-a-kind experience. A day in the life of a chef was something that had always intrigued me, so when I was told I’d be living it; I knew I wasn’t going to miss it for anything.

Chef with all the other chefs for the day 🙂

So the people who really know me well, also know that I don’t really cook on a regular basis. The kitchen isn’t really my comfort zone unless I’m motivated enough to cook up a storm.

This was a one such rare time, where we got a chance to explore and learn everything that JW Sahar kitchen has to offer. We got a live, guided tour of the various areas based behind their main open kitchen at Romano’s.

1. Receiving Dock – where the fresh stock of vegetables arrives and is cleaned in huge washers.

2. Commissary Kitchen – Where all the vegetables and stored, peeled, chopped, etc.

3. Butchery – Where the meats are stored, chopped, minced, packed in airtight pouches and stored.

4. Bakery Kitchen – where the breads and cakes are freshly baked on an hourly basis.

5. Purchase Office – The office where the back-end personnel deal with the stocks as a whole.

The entire session was handled by Chef Roberto Zorzoli – Head Chef at Romano’s. With a career that spans over a decade, Chef Roberto Zorzoli now plays a major role at Romano’s at the luxurious JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar.

Romano’s is the exclusive signature Italian restaurant at the hotel. Chef Roberto has come a long way from his native, Milan. Through his culinary journey he has embraced with gusto, travelling across Belgium, Italy and Malton to Shanghai, working with several renowned Italian Chefs throughout his 15-year long career. It was such an honour to work with him and have a hands-on experience of home-style Italian delicacies.

A set menu was prepared for us on this wonderful afternoon. What made it even better was that we had to try our hand at making every dish that was a part of this exclusive menu. As exciting as it sounds, it was way better than that. Once we got our ingredients in place, it was time to prep ourselves for classic kitchen tasks that involved a lot of physically intense hard work. With an apron and chef’s hat, we looked nothing less than professionals ourselves… It was fun to switch over to being someone I am otherwise not. I gave it a shot at making fresh pasta and what a fun yet meticulous task it was!

Here are snippets of some of the delicious food we put together.

Being on our feet, non-stop for so many hours made me realise how tough a chef’s job truly is. I’ve always respected them for everything they do, but this was like standing in their shoes – literally, and in the end there’s only 1 thing to say… that I have new found respect for every chef out there who strives to create meals that appeal to every sense. From handling extremely heavy utensils to chopping and stirring innumerable things, multitasking got a whole new meaning here. Never did I imagine myself playing such an unusual role and boy! was I glad to have not missed it.

Lunch was soon served on the community table that was created for this afternoon and this is what the menu looked like…

INSALATA ROMANO’S

Goat cheese, pine and walnuts, fresh lettuce, baby carrot, tomato in a lemon dressing

RISOTTO AI FUNGHI CON AGLIO NERO (one of my favourites!)
Carnaroli rice, black garlic, fresh mushrooms

ASPARGI CON GORGONZA
Imported asparagus, lemon butter sauce, gorgonzola cheese, caramelize onions

MILLE FOGLIE
Berries millefeuille

SEAFOOD BRUSCHETTA
Toasted bread, scallop, crab, salmon

MALFATTA DELLA CASA (loved this one!)
fresh pasta ,porcini mushrooms ,truffle essence, home-made chicken sausage

SALMONE CON SCALOGNO E ASPARAGI
Pan seared salmon, shallots sauce, jumbo asparagus

SALAME DI CIOCCOLATO
Chef’s special recipe – salami style chocolate

xx

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